(ANSA) - PERTH, JANUARY 24 - Terence Darrell Kelly, the 36-year-old accused of kidnapping little Cleo Smith, a 4-year-old girl, from a campsite in Australia in October, confessed.
The man is on trial and his statements represented an unexpected development in the case that attracted worldwide attention.
Cleo Smith had disappeared from her family's tent in Western Australia in October, sparking a major search operation that many feared would end in mediation. The girl was then found 18 days later on her own in a locked house in the coastal town of Carnarvon, a short distance from where she had disappeared.
His alleged kidnapper, Terence Darrell Kelly, pleaded guilty to kidnapping during a prison video link to trial.
Other charges have been updated, including a new charge of assaulting a police officer.
When the kidnapping charge was brought to him by the judge, Kelly simply stated, "Guilty."
The man was held in custody until his next court appearance in March, when a date could be set for his sentencing and details of Cleo's kidnapping should be revealed.
He is alleged to have acted alone and the police say he has no connection with the family.
(HANDLE).